Learn JLPT N5 Vocabulary: 立つ (tatsu)

Just a friendly reminder that the end of net neutrality will also be the end of independent writers and artists having online access to their audiences. Do some research, spread the word, make a phone call if you can. Net neutrality is serious business for everyone, and it’s especially important for indie writers. I mean, it’d be cool to go back to trading paper zines via snail mail, but I’d prefer to have access to y’all’s work online as well. Social media sites already make it hard enough with their algorithms, etc. I’d hate to see the entire internet turn against us. Let’s not let them do it. Okay? <3

The obsolete English -k suffix is my new favourite thing (source). It’s also the same -k that derives “hark, hearken” from “hear”. 

_DSC0093 by Kevin Ho

見つける｜みつける｜To find

German Vocabulary: Die Stadt - The City

Picture: Town hall square and Alster lake, Hamburg, Germany.

Die Stadt (f) - The city

das Gebäude (n) - the building

die Straße (f) - the street

der Bürgersteig (m) / das Trottoir (n) (Switzerland & Austria) -  the pavement

das Hochhaus (n) - the tower/high-rise building 

der Wolkenkratzer (m) - the skyscraper

die Ampel (f) - the traffic light

das Verkehrsschild (n) - the traffic sign

das Auto (n) - the car

der Bus (m) - bus 

die Bushaltestelle (f)  - the bus stop

der Zug (m) - the train

die Bahn (f) - the train (less formal)

der Bahnhof (m) - the train station

der Zebrastreifen (m) / der Schutzweg (m) (Austria) / der Fussgängerstreifen (m) (Switzerland) - the crosswalk

das Taxi (n) - the taxi 

das Fahrrad (n) - the bicycle

das Krankenhaus (n) / das Spital (n) (Switzerland & Austria) - the hospital

die Gasse (f) - the alleyway 

die Kreuzung (f)  - the crossing

die Garage (f) - the garage

der Parkplatz (m) - the parking space/parking lot

das Parkhaus (n) - the multi-story car park

das Rathaus (n) - town hall

der Verkehr (m) - the traffic

das Haus (n) - the house

der Platz (m) - the square

die Apotheke (f) - the pharmacy

das Kino (n) - the cinema

Die Post (f) / Das Postamt (n) - the post office

das Hotel (n) - the hotel

das Restaurant (n) - the restaurant

die Bank (f) - the bank 

die Schule (f) - the school

die Universität (f) - the university

der Flughafen (m) - the airport

das Stadion (n) - the stadium

der Park (m) - the park

der Spielplatz (m) - the playground

der Kindergarten (m) - the kindergarten

der Fluss (m) - the river

der Hafen (m) - the harbor/port

die Philharmonie (f) - the philharmonic

die Oper (f) - the opera

das Theater (n) - the theater

die Kirche (f) - the church 

die Kathedrale (f) / der Dom (m) - the cathedral

Die Moschee (f) - the Mosque

Die Synagoge (f) - the Synagogue

Triacontakaitetragon

Now here’s a smoke quartz mouthful to tongue twist our way around. It means a 34 sided polygon. The rough weighed about 18 kilos, and was faceted into this shape as a commission by gem artist Lawrence Stoller.

Keep reading

Today we’ll be learning how to express “while/during” in Japanese with ながら (nagara)

Happy learning °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  

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Useful Links:

• CrunchyNihongo - Easy to Learn Japanese Lessons Site • Get our easy Japan lessons on your facebook timeline • FREE DOWNLOAD! Resourceful app to start learning Japanese! • Books to guide & help you learn Japanese

Sometimes, when we are presenting, our bodies act completely irrationally. Sweating, stuttering, or just shutting down completely are all things I have encountered during public speaking; behaviour that is usually connected to extreme danger and fleeing behaviour. Completely unnecessary, as your teacher won’t kill you (hopefully), but trying to convince your body to be just as rational is a tough task. Turns out that this is exactly what we’re going to do. 

The basis for this (personal) advice all lies in my musical training, where posture is extremely important. Performance practice lessons have taught me one important thing: you can trick your body into thinking it’s okay, and with that, your audience. disclaimer: I have posted this information before in a slightly different way. Regard this as an updated version. Hopefully one with better spelling.

hoooooow???

Stand up and try to follow these instructions. I’m your only audience right now, so mistakes aren’t a problem. 

Start by relaxing your shoulders. Many people tense their shoulders when they’re anxious, which is a very natural reaction. However, tension in your shoulder automatically reaches through to your back and arms, and even your neck, tensing up your entire upper body. It’s confirming to your brain that yes! this is scary! Well, brain is wrong and we’re going to prove it wrong by relaxing our shoulders. Just let them hang down (make sure you don’t start leaning forward though, it should be just your shoulders). Doesn’t that immediately feel more relaxed?

Keep your feet a little bit apart, firm on the ground. This sends the message to your brain and audience that a single push will not have you fall over. Standing with your legs closely together simply isn’t as stable, and you want to radiate stability and confidence. Even if you’re feeling dizzy, this simple way of pretending will keep your feet on the ground. Literally. 

Chin up, back straight, eyes at the audience. I used to tend to look at the ground, or to lean forward. No, no no! You want to maintain an open posture, and to address the entire audience. When you do this, you’ll look more secure, and maybe you’ll even notice people will listen to you more closely. Make sure you address the entire room, and not just one spot. if you’re scared to look at faces, look at the back wall. But not just one spot, find some nice different wall spots to look at. 

What to do with your hands? I know I used to put my hands in my pocket, or fidget with something. Instead, try to talk with your hands more. When you’re using gestures, people will usually pay more attention to what you’re saying, and they’ll sometimes understand more easily (if you’re interested as to why, message me). 

Do not hide. This is special advice to musicians, too. I used to hide behind my music stand because it was nice and safe. During public speaking it’s easy to hide behind some notes or to stand behind other people of your group, maybe. Don’t. Remember, fake the confident posture till you make it. 

When you’re finished, don’t stop pretending just yet. When people ask how it went, always say it went okay. This is so so so important! Because if you’d say “ugh it was awful!! So many things went wrong, I suck at presenting!” they’ll start thinking hmm, yeah, there were indeed some mistakes… Could have been better. Whereas if you just say it was okay or good, or even decent, they’ll hardly even question it and will most likely remember the positive aspects, as humans tend to do. 

I promise this works, at least to some extent. It may not help you get rid of anxiety right away, especially in really severe cases, but it can help you feel more at ease in front of a group. After that, you can start working on other things, such as volume, intonation, powerpoint use etc. 

Just take a few seconds before you start talking to breathe, focus on those muscles, and to follow this with an amazing presentation (and a good grade). 

You can always send me an ask for advice on public speaking! Even though I’m not a professional coach or whatever, I have overcome my speaking anxiety and maybe I can be of any help at all <3

Here’s some weapons for your essay writing arsenal!

Hemingway Editor Calmly Writer  The Most Dangerous Writing App Purdue O.W.L. One Look Thesaurus JSTOR Google Scholar

Reply with your favourite or other great websites I didn’t include!

cute onomatope words

ビュービュー whistling sound; sound of the wind

わくわく tremble; excited

ぽかぽか nice and warm

ふんわり gently; airily; fluffy

ピンピン lively

にこにこ friendly smile

そっと softly; gently; quietly

すらすら smoothly

すやすや sleeping peacefully

ザーザー heavy rainfall

さらさら murmuring

ころころ lightly rolling

きらきら sparkle

ふわふわ fluffy

ぴかぴか glitter; twinkle